Chapter 52
LUC
The reception I received from Kylie’s family was far better than the one I received from Lily. She cornered me in the kitchen while Kylie packed a bag for the night.
“So you’re back, huh?”
She wasn’t happy with my sudden reappearance and seemed even more furious when she realized Kylie was packing a bag.
“If that’s how you want to phrase it, yes.”
Lecture in 3—2—1—
“I hope you understand the stakes here. You weren’t the one with her when you ended things without explanation. And now, what? You love her, and we all need to forgive and forget?”
I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. “I’ll take anything you throw at me. But I’m not leaving again.”
“Because of the baby.”
It was a statement, not a question. She was wrong, and it was going to take more than words to get her to believe me.
“Because of Kylie.”
“Trust me, Luc. I want to believe you. Kylie deserves to be happy. What she doesn’t need is an asshole pumping her full of lies only to break her heart. You say you love her…”
“I do.”
“Did you love her when you broke her heart?”
“I’ve always loved her and never would have hurt her if I thought there was a way around it.”
Lily frowned. And then she let me have it.
“Ugh. I know what your ex did, and that was shit, Luc. I can see how it threw off your decisions, but you shouldn’t have made those without Kylie. It’s like you didn’t trust her to make her own decisions.”
That was exactly my mistake. I hated being on the receiving end of Lily’s fury, but she was saying everything a good friend should be in this moment.
“Do you know what it was like watching my wife sob every month when she failed to get pregnant? Or what it was like, believing it was my fault that she couldn’t?
Yeah, today we know that the award-winning actress was acting a part, but I was responsible for her pain.
I never wanted that for Kylie—and did I trust her to make that decision?
Not really. I didn’t want her to make a decision that worked for her in the short term, only to regret it ten years from now. ”
“This is your last chance, Luc. If I need to help her escape from you again, we’re burning the place down behind us. And I don’t care if you survive.”
“Lily,” Kylie said from the hallway, “Are you threatening to burn Luc’s house down?”
Lily shrugged.
“He’s got plenty of ways to avoid that outcome.”
Kylie shook her head and smirked, handing me her overnight bag to carry. She kissed my cheek, trying to lighten the mood.
“Aren’t I lucky to have her on my side?”
“Oh, yeah. Arson is great.”
“Don’t worry, she’d slash your tires first. She’s too afraid a fire would take out an innocent victim.”
“It’s okay. I think we’ve come to an understanding, right, Luc?”
I nodded. As much as I hated being the focus of Lily’s ire, I was glad Kylie had someone like her on her side.
“Let’s go, Ky. Liam is going to starve. Denise wasn’t around today to feed him.”
When we got into the car, Kylie texted furiously.
“Looks like Lily needs to be filled in on what happened?”
“Yeah, we blindsided her. She’s not unsupportive, just cautious and wants to be sure I know what I’m getting into.”
I slid into a parking spot and grabbed Kylie’s bag from the back seat. I watched her stumble as she approached the door; she usually would have entered the code and gone inside.
“Go ahead,” I said.
She looked at me, took a deep breath, and punched in her code. When the light blinked green, she squeezed her eyes closed and paused before heading inside.
Liam ran over and wound himself between her legs until she stooped and picked him up. His excitement at seeing her became clear through his increasingly eager vocalizations and loud purrs.
“Damn, he’s loud.”
“That’s a better reception than he gave me when I returned from spring training.”
“Did you hear that, Liam? He’s looking for us to feel bad for him. Pssh. He should never have left you alone.”
“Well, he pissed in my bed enough to get his point across.”
“He would never have done it if you hadn’t deserved it. I might piss in your bed too if you leave me again.”
As much as I hated Kylie’s sentiment, it allowed me to ask what I wanted to know.
“How about we make my bed yours?”
Her gaze darted to mine, and her lips parted in surprise.
“Oh, Luc. You’re terrible at this, aren’t you?” The next thing I knew, Kylie doubled over and laughed at me.
“I didn’t think I was asking a funny question.”
“Why? Why do you want me to move in with you?”
Fuck, I hated when Kylie tested me like this. There were so many reasons, but I knew she was testing the waters to make sure this wasn’t all about the baby. Would living together make it easier to co-parent? Absolutely. But this was not about co-parenting.
“The days leading up to when we split up, our relationship had shifted. We were heading in this direction. I let something knock us off the path—off our path. And I want so badly to be back there with you.”
“You took us on a side quest, Luc. We can’t jump right onto that path until we make our way back.”
I nodded, her face falling at my expression. I swallowed thickly, trying to hold back the emotion.
“I’m here now, Luc. I plan to stay the night and be here when you’re not traveling.
But I need the space when we’re apart to figure out what I want long-term.
I want this baby now, but it wasn’t my plan.
I want my career. I want you, but when I lost you, I had accepted that I would be alone.
When the pregnancy test was positive, I planned on parenting alone.
And you know what? I would have been great at it.
You asked me never to associate you as a father, a husband, or a long-term partner when we met.
And now, here I am, pregnant with your baby, and you expect me to believe that this is what you wanted all along? ”
Hearing her words, my heart stuttered, and fear pulsed through me. Fuck, I could still lose her.
“I’m going to show you with actions. You know I love you, right?”
“Yes, I do. I love you, too. BUT there was a time when you decided that love wasn’t enough.
This isn’t a grand scheme for me to get you to prove it, either.
It’s why I’m here tonight; it’s why I promised a commitment.
And as I feel ready to move in, or maybe even to get married, I will let you know.
” She took a deep breath before continuing. “Can you promise me something?”
“Okay,” I said. Answering without hesitation, I would promise this woman anything.
“Promise if you’re ever thinking about changing your mind about us, you’ll tell me first.”
“Done.”
We had both settled on the couch, where Liam had chosen her lap over hounding me for a meal.
“I’m not sure if I’ll be better or worse knowing this, but what was it about Skylar that made you commit to her?”
“That’s not a simple answer. Are you sure you want it?”
Kylie nodded and sat back, putting her feet on my lap.
“I believe I already told you that we met in college. But I don’t think I ever mentioned that I had a poster of Sky on my wall when I was fourteen.
When I met her in college, I was star-struck and in awe that she chose me.
I played ball and was drafted. Sky knew baseball players were known for on-the-road indiscretions and pushed for marriage.
And I wanted to make her happy. Our entire dynamic revolved around her happiness.
I think when I got injured, she was more devastated than I was; she was no longer married to a future MLB player.
The only thing I ever did for myself was coach. ”
“And that relationship revolved around lies.”
“Yes, apparently there were lies.”
“You don’t have to give up coaching to make me believe you’re serious. If your career is important to you, we can figure out how to make everything work, Luc. I don’t see myself as a stay-at-home mom, and I think what I do makes a difference. It’s why I chose the field.”
“I think I may be outgrowing the lifestyle. I’m not looking forward to our road series for the first time in over ten years.”
The more I thought about being an at-home father, the more I liked the idea. Fuck, I could afford it. If losing my father when I did could offer anything good, the trust fund he left me could provide an opportunity to be with my children.
“You need to finish out the season?”
“I do. And I recognize it’s not ideal with your due date. The last game of the season is on September 29th. If we make it to the post-season—”
“I’ll be okay. We will figure it out. You won’t miss the birth?”
“No, I won’t allow that. I’m not the only coach, and the MLB has paternity leave in the player contracts. The organization allows the same leave to coaches and managers. It’s only three days, though. How about your leave?”
Kylie smiled. “I can take up to a year. It’s unpaid, but my medical coverage and my job are protected up to a year from when the baby is born.”
Liam had had enough of hanging out on the couch and seemed comfortable enough that Kylie was staying. He went to the cabinet and yelled for his supper.
“Let me go take care of him.”